Pediatric Patient Stories

When Gabrielle Ayoub was just 2 years old her mother noticed that she was limping and that her knee was swollen. The pediatrician thought it might be pauciarticular juvenile arthritis, a form of childhood arthritis that typically affects large joints such as the knee, which can develop persistent swelling if not treated early on. She recommended that Mrs. Ayoub take Gabrielle to see Thomas J.A. Lehman, MD, who confirmed the diagnosis.

"As a parent you have to look for what is really best for your child,” says Veronica Vivar, who was told after the birth of her son Nicolas that he may have a type of skeletal dysplasia. “I wanted to see a doctor who was used to seeing this type of condition and could give him the best care possible. That’s what I found with Dr. Raggio and the program at Special Surgery."

"My son's leg was to be amputated below the knee," recalled his mother, Lorena. "And, as an athlete, we were concerned about his mobility." At this point, what Hernan and his family needed was hope, and it came in the form of a referral to Dr. Roger Widmann, Chief of Pediatric Orthopedics at Hospital for Special Surgery.

"Before Jack was born we met with Dr. Scher, who was one of the few doctors in the city trained by Dr. Ponseti and highly regarded in the field. He explained everything, showed us casts and little shoes, and completely put us at ease."